Quarter Century
by Anarchist's Rose
Summary: Four years after Fairy Tail is reformed Natsu, Lucy and Gray went missing on a job, leaving the guild to wonder what happened to them, never expecting them to be found twenty-five years later having not aged a day, leaving everyone to wonder what happened to them that caused them to be gone for so long, and leaving Natsu, Lucy and Gray to pick up the pieces. Next gen OC-centric.
1. Chapter One

When I was a little girl I was told about a group of wizards who went on a job and never returned. They just vanished into thin air. Everyone anxiously awaited their return, even though it was hopeless by now. There were two survivors who never lost hope. That was twenty-five years ago. I'm sure if they came back they wouldn't know what their world had turned into. Everything has changed in those twenty-five years.

I see the Redfox family sitting over their meal, Levy fussing over her daughter's hair. Her daughter is shrugging her mom off, rolling her eyes saying she doesn't need help, taking a sip from the beer in front of her. The son is secretly watching from behind his book. Gajeel is drinking a beer, laughing at the whole situation. Olive and Talon Redfox, the twins. They use Shadow Magic and Letter Magic respectively. The two of them, and Paxton are my best friends.

Paxton sits at the bar, chatting happily with one of the visitors to the guild's bars. He has a charming, though somewhat brutish smile on his face. Watching him flirt it hilarious. He adjusts his glasses and the girl lets out a giggle. He and his sister, Lydia, are the pride of the guild, being the son and daughter of Evergreen and Elfman. Paxton uses Takeover Magic like his dad. It's gotten my team out of some serious situations. He's also the unofficial leader of our group, as the oldest. He glances my way and gives me a wave, motioning for me to come over. Upon seeing me the girl he was flirting with leaves, looking vaguely annoyed. Paxton is dense at times. "What are you up to, Ivie?"

"This and that. Not much. I was thinking about looking for a job before too long," I say quietly.

"We can go out whenever you want. Go grab one off the board. I'll go grab Olive and Talon."

I give him a nod and walk over to look at the board. There aren't many people crowding there now days. The strongest wizards are all parents who go out on S-Class requests to make more money to support their families. Fairy Tail is known for our successful S-Class wizards anyway. Besides the twins, Paxton and myself there are only a handful of wizards that aren't too young to take on requests on their own but aren't S-Class level yet: Lydia Strauss, Paxton's sister, and my younger sisters, Ruby and Ceila. The three of them are on a job now. All the other kids of the guild, as we're called, are too young to go out by themselves.

"This looks interesting," I mutter to no one in particular. "It pays well too. I'll be able to pay rent with this at least." Unlike the other younger members of the guild my sister's and I don't have parents in the guild. It was luck we were found. The guild master found us and took us here, feeling sorry for us probably. I would have felt sorry for us too. We were helpless. I was six at the time, Ruby four and Ceila two. I'm the only one who knows what happened, why we needed to be rescued in the first place. I'm not ever going to tell Ruby or Ceila. They don't need that burden.

"Whatcha got there, Ivie?" I jump when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around and see it's Olive. She's short, not even breaking five feet tall. She looks a lot like her mom, blue hair, petite features, but takes after her dad, with piercings dotting both ears like crazy. She alternates between her mom's gentle smile and her father's scowl depending on what the situation calls for. She looks out for me, keeping me from being too impulsive and keeping me from getting myself into dangerous situations from my absentmindedness, and I talk her through life choices, and occasionally force her into going out and acting social, though she tends to take the lead once we're out.

Her brother comes up behind her and takes the request from my hands with a smile. "This looks interesting." Talon takes after his father, over six feet tall with black hair and similar complexion, but has his mother's personality, soft smile, kind eyes and love of books. He and I spend hours talking about the books we've read and often exchange stories to read. Freed often brings the two of us new books he finds as well. It's quieter with Talon, but that's not a bad thing. I'm comfortable with him. "What do you think, Pax?"

Paxton takes the paper from Talon. If Talon is tall then Paxton is a giant. He looks like his dad with some more delicate features that he no doubt inherited from his mom and aunts. If his dad was a runner instead of a body builder that is what Pax would look like. With glasses. Pax can't see ten feet in front of him without them. I've seen him use his takeover magic and accidentally destroyed his glassed on multiple occasions. It makes things difficult for the rest of us. "Oak Town, huh?"

I nod. "Yeah. The request is from the mayor. They said there is a group of wizards wreaking havoc on the forest just outside. The request said they had Fairy Tail emblems, but didn't recognize any of them as ours. They wanted someone to go stop it before they reached the city."

"Alright then. Let's go." Paxton leads us out. I notice the older wizards looking at us with nostalgic looks in their eyes. Many of them were on teams with close friends. I notice Wendy looking at us especially close. She gives me a smile and her daughter waves at me.

"Good luck!" the little girl waves at me.

"Thanks, Navi."

It's not a long journey to get to Oak Town. We're able to catch a ride on a carriage, getting there pretty smoothly despite Olive's mild motion sickness. Once we see the forest we can see exactly why we were called. "This is it, huh?" Olive asks. "Well, let's go." Pax goes right ahead and Talon and I hang back. There are a group of trees that look like they recently encountered a large fire and another group that look like they've been attacked by an avalanche. Talon and I don't hang back because we're scared, but because Talon wants to gather more information and I'd rather not leave him alone. When he starts investigating he can become isolated from the world around him, not realizing he's in a fight until he's been hit. Right now he's crouching down over an ice covered tree branch.

"You find anything, Talon?" I hardly speak above a whisper, not knowing who is listening.

He nods. "Ivie, could you use some of your magic? I want to compare something."

"Uh okay?" I look at the wreckage before us. "Ice-Make branch, I guess." I cast the spell and create a tree branch like one of the ones that has been frozen over or burnt to ashes. I pass the ice to Talon who recoils when he touches it, then pulls a pair of gloves from his pocket and puts them on before taking the branch once again. "Sorry."

He gives a shrug. "No, it's not your fault. It's ice. Ice is cold. I should have known before touching it."

I look around the burnt landscape and let out a sigh. "I guess it would help if CeCe was here." My younger sisters and I each specialize in a different elemental magic, ice, air and fire. If Ceila was here we could use her fire magic to compare to the wreckage we see here.

"Can't you try to use some fire magic, Ivie?" Talon's voice pulls me out of my thoughts and I shake my head.

"Not yet. I'm still haven't made a connection with fire." When I'm not on a job or reading I'm usually studying. I specialize in Ice Magic but I can use all sorts of different types of magic, though I'm not very good at any of them. I study the connections between magic. It's a fascinating subject, seeing how I can connect the different types of magic to one another. I have a theory all magic is interconnected and if we wanted to we could find all the connections and have access to all types of magic.

"Alright." I see Talon get up and tear one of the branches off the remaining unharmed trees before grabbing the pen that rested behind his ear. "Solid Script Fire." He set the branch on fire watching it as it became a mere shell of what it once was. I didn't know what Talon was looking at while investigating the branches.

"So, find anything?"

"I can tell it's powerful wizards we'll be dealing with." As if on cue flashes of light from deeper in the forest pulled us away from our investigation. I could almost hear Olive and Paxton yelling at us to hurry up and fight. Talon and I jog to catch up to the pair, who are following the light source.

"So, what's the plan?" I ask Paxton. He has his arms crossed over his chest while he thinks of a battle strategy.

"We don't really know what we're dealing with, do we?"

"At least one fire wizard and one ice wizard," Talon replies cooly. "So we need to keep Ivie away from the fire wizard. She doesn't stand a chance."

"Hey!" Olive got more offended than I did. I can see her face turning red.

"Don't worry about it, Olive. It's true. I don't stand a chance. I've never beat CeCe in a spar. Why don't you take the fire wizard, Olive? It's not like you can burn a shadow."

She shrugs. "Alright. Pax, you take the ice wizard? You have a beast form that can outlast the cold, right?" He nodded. "Great! Talon you be on standby for the two of us. Ivie, stay out of sight. If we need you then we'll call you."

This sounds like the usual plan. Two people go on the offense, one goes on the defense, and I stay out of sight. I'm not as powerful as the rest of my team. They all had proper training for their magic, Levy and Freed teaching Talon how to use his magic to its full potential, Elfman and his sisters teaching Paxton to master his takeover spells, and even Olive, learning some basics from Gajeel before getting taught by Rogue from Sabertooth for a year. I am self taught. I learn a bit from Lyon from Lamia Scale when he drops by the guild, but I never went to train, to seek a teacher. I couldn't abandon Ruby and Ceila. I'm proud of what I've accomplished by myself.

I climb a tree with low hanging branches, climbing tree to tree so I could keep an eye on my guild-mates. I hate how useless I am. I want to get strong one day. Eventually we reach a trio of wizards who are passed out in the middle of the clearing. I hop out of the tree. I can see we're all confused. "I was expecting a fight," Olive says quietly, more out of confusion than disappointment.

"Solid Script Prison." Immediately the words enclose the three wizards in a cage made up of the words.

I take a step closer, investigating the wizards closely. The look to be our age, a year or two older maybe, two guys and a girl, the guys with pink and black hair and the girl with blonde. I could see a guild mark on each of them. "Should we just wait for them to wake up?"

Paxton takes that as an invitation to turn into one of his beasts and let out a roar. Immediately the three wake up, looking around confused. When someone finally speaks it's the guy with the pink hair, looking around at the prison. "Well this sucks."

 **A/N**

Thank you all so much for reading the first chapter. I recently binged the entirety of Fairy Tail and fell in love with the series. Please let me know what you all think and if there is anything you'd like to see in the future!


	2. Chapter Two

It's strange to see these three trapped here. They bear our emblem but we've never seen them before. They're probably fake, but what would the three of them gain by slandering our guild's name? Why was so much of the forest destroyed? Why were they passed out when we found them? I look at each one of them in turn. They don't seem like bad people. I like to think I'm a good judge of character, but as soon as I become arrogant about something like that then I'm bound to meet a villain in disguise.

Talon is looking over the three of them as carefully as I am, looking at each of them in turn, sizing them up. He won't say anything to them, though. He's quiet, observes the world and says things only when he thinks they need to be said.

Paxton, on the other hand, looks like he's going to burst with an infinite amount of questions, but can't decide which is the most important one to ask. He has his fists curled up into tight balls, his right fist taking on one of his most powerful beast forms. He doesn't want to mess around with whoever these people are.

Olive is right next to the prison, looking in like they're animals of some sort, a scowl on her face that could rival her father's on levels of terrifying. I can see her preparing shadows to attack our prisoners should they try to do something to harm us.

Seeing none of them are going to say anything to the people in the jail, and seeing as the people in the jail look more confused than dangerous, I decide I should speak to them, try to figure out their story and why they are not doing anything to try to fight back. "Who are you?"

The pink haired guy crosses his arms and looks at me in confusion. "What do you mean who are we? Who are you? Why do you have our guild marks? I've never seen you around."

Three members went missing twenty-five years ago. This can't possibly be them. They look like they're in their early twenties, a year or two older than Paxton at most. I go along with what they are saying. "You're members of Fairy Tail? I've never seen the three of you around. I've been a member since I was six. I think I'd remember seeing people like you."

The girl speaks up this time. She seems a lot nicer than the two guys, both of whom are giving me scowls at this point. "Since you were six? How long have you been a member then?"

"Fourteen years." I should be nice to them. I look at Paxton, Olive and Talon. Paxton is giving me a nod, to continue what I'm doing. Olive looks like she's ready to attack. Talon looks as nervous as I feel talking to them, his face stoic but eyes betraying his feelings. "My name is Ivie. What's yours?"

"Wouldn't it be better to release us before making friends with us?" The dark haired guy finally speaks. He's been silent this whole time, but I haven't missed him looking us over, probably trying to figure out how to escape and attack us.

The only thing I can do is shake my head. "I'm sorry. My friends and I can't trust you until we know who you are. I've been in the guild fourteen years, but these three have been in their whole lives. If they don't know you then there's something going on." I give them a small smile, trying to reassure them as well as stop the hammering in my chest. "Are you hungry? I can get you some food, if you want." I look over at Paxton and he takes off his backpack, grabbing three of the sandwiches we packed for us. "I know it's not much, but it's better than nothing, right?"

"Awesome, thanks!" The pink haired guy takes the sandwich and bites into it immediately, the other two watching him before taking bites themselves.

While they eat I continue to talk. On jobs I don't usually do the talking, Pax or Olive usually speak because they're more intimidating, but it's apparent intimidation won't work on them, and Talon is lousy at talking to others. "Like I said, my name is Ivie. Ivie Endler. These are my guild-mates, Paxton Strauss, Olive Redfox and Talon Redfox."

The three of them look at each other, confused once again. The girl speaks up. "Did you say Strauss and Redfox?"

I nod. "Yeah?" I can see the shadows Olive created growing bigger. Paxton's entire arm becoming his beast form. Talon has grabbed his pen and is prepared to use it. "What about it?"

The girl looked at my friends, carefully looking over each of them, a look of shock in her eyes. Twenty-five years. No way it's them. "Are you related to Gajeel, or Mirajane, Elfman or Lisanna, by any chance?"

Olive responds, her scowl becoming deeper, her shadows licking the edge of the prison like flames. "Gajeel is mine and his dad, and Elman is Pax's dad. What of it?"

"No way! They're playing some kind of joke on us! I think I would have known if metal-face had kids!" The pink haired guy was starting to laugh, the tiniest hints of flames coming out of his mouth. So they are the wizards that destroyed the forest. That much is confirmed at least.

Olive takes over speaking and I back away. "Listen, we introduced ourselves. Now who the hell are you?"

The guy stopped laughing, but a smile was still planted on his face. "My name's Natsu!" He gestured to the two others in the prison. "This is Lucy, and droopy eyes back there name is Gray."

I look over at Talon, my eyes wide. He doesn't seem to know what's going on. None of them do. I can't blame them. They weren't there when I heard the story.

I was staying at Erza and Jellal's place. Ruby was staying with Mirajane and the Guild Master, Laxus, and Ceila was staying with Lisanna and Bickslow. We had been at the guild for a month at this point and the adults were trying to figure out what to do with the three of us, still trying to figure out what had happened to find us in our condition. They told us that no one could take all three of us at once, but I knew it was really so they could ask me and my little sisters questions in private. In an attempt to get me to open up Erza told me about how she went on a job and lost three of her friends, Natsu, Gray and Lucy. She told me she wanted to protect the three of us and make sure no one ever disappeared again. I asked her what had happened and she said it was like they disappeared into thin air. I never told anyone that story. I never heard anyone talk about Natsu, Gray and Lucy in the guild either, unless it was in hushed voices. They didn't want to frighten us children. Any time I asked Erza about it she would go quiet, telling me the same story she told me that first month. I went to look for information about them, but was never able to find any. Eventually my research shifted from them to studying different types of magic. Seeing the three of them here in front of me feels like a dream of the past.

"Open the prison," I say quietly, but everyone hears me, all six, my team and the prisoners, looking at me with shock.

"Are you sure, Ivie?" Talon asks.

"Yeah. They're member's of Fairy Tail. We should trust them. We can take them back to the guild hall. I'm sure the Guild Master would know who they are, even if we don't."

Olive looks at me like I've lost my mind. She has a right to. She doesn't know about the missing members. "What if they try to run off?"

I shake my head and look over at them, making eye contact with Lucy, giving her a warm smile. "They won't."

My team is reluctant to do what I say, to release them. I'm reluctant as well. My heartbeat has changed from quick to impossibly fast. If I'm wrong then this will cost us big time. They don't run once they're released. They stand there, surprised as my team members. Olive still has her shadows whipping behind her, emerging from the ground, dancing like snakes. "Don't try to run. You'll regret it."

They don't. Paxton takes the lead, walking out of the forest, his arm still in beast form. Olive walks behind us, shadows spreading out like a boundary. I know she'll hit any one of them that try to step out. Talon walks to the left of the three newcomers, and I to the right. I see Natsu chatting away, talking to Talon. I wonder how long it'll take him to realize that Talon isn't one for conversation? I'm next to the girl, Lucy. "Why did you ask them to release us?" she asks suddenly.

"I can't tell you. It's not the right time to say." How do I possibly tell someone that they missed twenty-five years? She probably suspects something is up. Lucy doesn't seem dumb. "What kind of magic do you use?"

I see a warm light appear in her eyes and she looks down to her hip. "I'm a Celestial Wizard."

"I've heard of those. There aren't that many, are there? The only one I've met is Yukino from Sabertooth."

Lucy shrugged. "Yeah, well, a lot of them lost their power. We're dependent on keys, anyway. There's only so many to go around."

"Lucy! Come here for a sec, will ya?" It's Natsu. Lucy gives me an apologetic smile and heads over to Natsu.

I go over to Gray. His face is somewhere between indifference and anger. It's strange. It's also strange that he isn't wearing a shirt. He wasn't wearing one when we found him, though. Maybe it got lost somewhere? "So, you're an ice wizard?"

He looks at me like I've just grown a second head. "How'd you know that?"

"Well, we saw a bunch of burnt trees and frozen branches at the edge of the forest. I noticed Natsu had flames coming out of his mouth earlier, and Lucy just told me she's a Celestial Wizard. It was just process of elimination." Gray lets out a low sigh in regard to my question. "If you're who you say you are, and really are a member of Fairy Tail, can you teach me ice magic?"

"What? You're an ice wizard too?"

I nod. "Yeah, kinda. I'm not very good. I didn't get proper training like the rest of my team. I didn't want to leave my sister's behind and go to Lamia Scale to learn. There's an ice wizard there and he's pretty powerful. He offered to teach me but the thought of leaving Ruby and CeCe, my sisters, scared me too much."

"Oh." That's all he has to say?

"So, can you teach me?"

He gives me a shrug in response. I don't stop looking at him until he finally speaks. "I'm not much of a teacher."

"Well, I'm a good student. I can catch on fast. I'm weak. I want to get strong. I want to help my guild. All I can do now is provide support, and that's on a good day. If you're strong enough to destroy a forest then you can teach me!"

Gray crosses his arms and looks at me skeptically. "Alright, fine. If this situation get's settled then I'll teach you."

I bow my head in appreciation. "Thank you."

We make it to the edge of the forest and we can see the outskirts of Oak Town. "Olive and I will watch these guys. Talon, Ivie, go find us a carriage, or see when the next train is going to Magnolia." I see both Natsu and Olive turn green at the thought of transportation. I guess Natsu gets motion sick as well.

"Alright." The three of them snap their heads up at the word. It's the first they've heard Talon speak. They probably thought he was mute or something. I let out a small laugh before him and I head off. "You're in a good mood," Talon says once we're away from the group.

"Well, I asked Gray to teach me how to use my Ice Magic. I can finally be useful on jobs."

Talon looks at me confused. "What do you mean finally useful?"

"Well, it's not like I fight. I'm just in the way, and I never do any of the hard work. The three of you would do fine without me."

"Is that how you really feel?" Talon stops in his tracks, looking at me with sadness in his eyes. "None of us feel that way, Ive. You're a part of our team as much as the rest of us. You don't need to be stronger for us to want you on our team."

I look down a my feet and feel a pair of arms around my shoulder as Talon pulls me into a hug. "You're great, Ivie. Why can't you see that?"

I wrap my arms around Talon, thankful that he's here. "I just don't want to need protecting my whole life."

I can hear the smile in his voice, lifting my heart as he speaks. "I don't mind protecting you."

We stand there like that for a few more moments, arms wrapped around one another, letting the other see into our hearts, before the sound of people walking by and chatting, reminding us we're in the middle of a town, causes us to pull apart. I see Talon's cheeks are a bit red. My face feels a bit warm. "Come on, let's go check the train."

Talon nods. "Right."

I'm happy my team doesn't think I'm useless, but I still want to get strong for them. They've done so much for me. I just want to return the favor. For now we just need to get back to the guild and figure out what happened to Natsu, Lucy and Gray.

 **A/N**

 _Oh my gosh you guys are all incredible! I cannot believe the first chapter has so many favorites and follows already! I really don't know what to say. I also really want to thank those who took the time to review. It really means a lot to me that you did that. I know you all have busy schedules. I put a poll out on my profile page, asking who your favorite of the OC's in this story I've introduced is. As more characters pop up I'll add them into the poll. I promise the main cast of Fairy Tail will get a lot of mention to! This story is not purely OC, I promise._

 _Again, thank you guys so much for everything. You are all really incredible!_


	3. Chapter Three

"Oh sweet relief!" I crack a smile as I watch Natsu stumble off the train. He looks like he was out drinking all night and trying to recover from a hangover. If it was different circumstances I'm sure he and Olive would get along well. His motion sickness is far more severe than Olive's though. She is still a bit green stepping off, obviously not in the mood to deal with the pink-haired man who is currently kissing the ground.

Her shadows whip up around her and I swear I hear a child scream. "Get over here fire-head. We still have to get you back to the guild."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm comin'. Why can't you be nice like that other girl? If we wanted to run off we would've already." Natsu has his arms crossed behind his head, a relaxed, almost jovial expression gracing his features. I laugh at his joke, and I see Paxton and Talon both crack smiles. Olive doesn't seem to appreciate his joke, though, as one of the shadows grabs his ankle and trips him. I see Lucy and Gray are laughing at their friend's misfortune.

We take on our formation from earlier, Paxton leading, but he isn't donning his beast arm. I notice Olive's shadows aren't as strong as they were. Talon's pencil is tucked away behind his ear, both of his hands in his pockets. I'm standing next to Gray who is walking silently beside me, a calm expression on his face. Natsu is chatting animatedly with Lucy and her bell like laugh rings out. We continue walking through Magnolia. We just seem like a group of people going out for a day with their friends, or at least I hope that is what we look like. We don't attract any strange glances, so that's good. We continue to walk until Paxton stops us at Magnolia Park. "What are we doing here?" Olive looks around at the families in the park before giving the three a wary look.

"We're going to stay here and guard these three while Ivie goes and gets the Guild Master. I don't want to lead them directly to Fairy Tail."

"Should she really go alone, Pax? What if something happens?" I hear concern in Olive's voice. She is looking out for me again, but it's not necessary.

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to the guild hall. It's better to have more of you guarding these guys anyway. I'll be quick." I give them a wave as I set off onto the streets of Magnolia. I can feel sets of eyes on me, burning into me like fire. I look over my shoulder. Paxton and Lucy are talking to one another. I can tell from the way Pax adjusts his glasses that he is listening intently. Natsu and Olive are at one another's throats, a flame in each of Natsu's hands, a shadow in each of Olive's. Talon and Gray are both watching me walk away. I ignore it. Talon is probably just trying to look out for me as best he can. Gray is probably just curious about the ice wizard who is terrible at magic. None of them have seen me use my magic yet. I place my right hand into my left palm like Lyon taught me to do and create a snowflake. It's pretty, but I wouldn't be able to use it for combat. I just stare at it as I walk down the gray cobblestone streets.

I eventually reach the guild hall. I open the doors and look around for the master. Where is Laxus at? I feel a pair of arms wrap around me from behind. I turn and see it's Ceila. "You're back from your job!"

She nods. "Yeah! Ruby, Lydia and I got back about twenty minutes after you apparently left." Ceila is tall, five foot seven last time we checked, a good three inches taller than me. Her skin is light, ivory, with a spattering of freckles covering her nose and cheeks. Her hair is straight and the color of dark chocolate, hair reaching just past her shoulders, bangs covering her forehead. She has beautiful gray-blue eyes that I've always found myself jealous of. There is always a smile on her face, causing the outer corners of her eyes to turn slightly downward. Everything about her is soft and inviting.

I look over at the bar and see Ruby sitting with Lydia, a cup coffee in her hands. Ruby is slightly taller than me, five foot five. Like Ceila she has skin the color of ivory, but has no freckles dotting her face. She keeps her hair short, a pixie cut, changing the color depending on the mood she's in. Currently it's a vibrant shade of lavender. Her eyes are also blue, but a brighter shade, more like the ocean on a stormy day. Ruby saves her smiles for when she thinks people are worthy of them. I'm never worthy, but on the rare occasion I see her smile her eyes turn up. While Ceila is soft, Ruby is all angles. She's tiny, one hundred pounds maybe.

My sisters are both beautiful and I find myself envious of them often. I'm the shortest. My skin isn't the color of ivory, but more a light beige, naturally darker than both of them. I don't have Ceila's freckles, but have higher cheekbones than both of them. My hair is longer than both of theirs, reaching my waist, and also incredibly curly, impossible to manage or make beautiful like either of them do. I don't have their pretty blue eyes, but plain brown, the same color as my hair. I'm not as thin as Ruby or have features as soft as Ceila. It's frustrating.

I look back at Ceila, distracting myself from my thoughts. I have a job to do. Now is not the time to be wrapped up in my head. "Have you seen Laxus anywhere?"

"The Guild Master? I think he's with Mira." Ceila and I both glance at the bar and see Laxus sitting on the corner, chatting with Mira who is passing out drinks.

"Thanks, CeCe. Tell me about your job later, okay?"

CeCe nods and goes over to sit next to Lydia. Lydia looks just like her mom, Evergreen, busty, thin, pretty, and perfect, without glasses and with white hair, like her dad and brother. She's got a bit of an attitude, and can be a bit dense at times, but she's got a good heart and I'm glad to call her my guild mate.

I turn my attention away form my sister and go sit next to Laxus. "Hey, Ive! Want anything to drink?"

I shake my head. "No thanks, Mira. I need to talk to Laxus. It's about the job we went on." Mira nods and walks away, the motherly smile she has plastered on her face goes elsewhere. Laxus has a dark expression. "What is it, Curly?"

I ignore Laxus's nickname for me for the time being. "We found people who claim to be members of the guild. We don't know them and they don't know us. They're not trying to fight or anything. We thought if anyone would know them it would be you."

Laxus gets up from his chair and downs the last of his drink. "Freed, Evergreen, Bickslow, come on."

I notice they're sitting at a table together, each with a drink. They stand up quickly and make their way to Laxus's side. "What is it, Laxus?" Freed looks up at his friend with admiration as he speaks.

"Curly here said there were some people she didn't know claiming to be members of our guild."

"Paxton, Olive and Talon are guarding them over at the park right now. We didn't think it would be a good idea to bring them back here in case they were trying to infiltrate us. That's why we wanted Laxus to look."

The Thunder Legion take up their spots as Laxus's guard, something I've grown used to seeing over the years, and I lead them back to the park. It's quiet while we walk. Laxus placing a hand on my shoulder gives me chills.

 _"Hey kid. What happened here?" A hand on my shoulder sends chills through my body._

 _I shake my head. I can't speak of it. No. No I can't! "Please don't hurt us!" I cry out._

 _"I don't know what you're talking about, kid? Where are your mom and dad?"_

 _Tears prick my eyes. "They're dead." I glance over at my sisters. CeCe is asleep on Ruby's lap. Ruby's eyes are half closed with sleep. The man takes a step closer to me. "Stop!" I hold out my hands and will the magic to come, creating bits of ice that fly at the man. He's unfazed. He ignores my cries as he picks me up. "Come on, Curly. Don't cry. I know somewhere safe for you, Pixie and Bite Size."_

"You said they're around here, Curly?"

I nod. "Yeah. Pax, Olive and Talon should be watching them." I see a burst of flames and suspect that's the work of Natsu. "This way."

Sure enough Natsu is the one busting out flames. I'm not expecting the one to be fighting him to be Gray, who is dealing out ice-make weapons like no one's business. They stop immediately once they see Laxus. He has a stern look on his face. Even Lucy looks scared.

I see the looks of shock on Bickslow, Evergreen and even Freed. Laxus takes slow steps towards them, making his way closer to them until he reaches Natsu, when he pokes him on the shoulder. "Well," he says gruffly, "took you three long enough."

"What the hell happened to you guys? Why are you so old?" I notice Natsu is not exactly subtle.

I can see the rage burning in Evergreen's eyes behind her glasses. "We're not old! Why the hell are you all so young?"

Paxton makes his way over to his mother and places a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Mom. I think we're all confused here." Paxton then looks at Talon, Olive and myself. "At least we know they are Fairy Tail members."

Olive nods and finally relaxes for the first time since we found them. There are none of her shadows in sight. Talon makes his way over to me and gives me a smile. "Thanks for getting them, Ivie."

I shrug in response, not really sure what to say. "It wasn't a problem."

Talon leans down, placing his mouth close to my ear and speaks in a breathy whisper. "You're not useless Ivie."

Again, I shrug. "I've got a long way to go before I compare to you guys or my sisters."

"Not as long as you've convinced yourself." Talon glances over at the others. The Thunder Legion are questioning Natsu, Gray and Lucy, trying to find out what is going on. Paxton and Olive are watching closely, throwing out statements occasionally. I feel Talon grab my hand. "Come on, let's go." My heartbeat has suddenly quickened. What is this? I follow him though. I'd follow Talon anywhere. I trust him with my life.

"Where are we going?"

"Just for a walk. I noticed how stressed out you were. I thought you needed some time away from the others before we all head back to the guild."

"Thanks."

Talon's expression, though kind, turns serious. "What's wrong, Ivie?"

I think back to Laxus touching my shoulder. I think of the day he found us, and the few days after I heard about the three missing wizards. Everything is happening so close together. My head is starting to spin. "I was remembering when Laxus found us."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I shake my head. "I still can't." I bite my lower lip and look up at Talon. I can feel needles pricking my eyes. I will the tears to not fall. "I don't know if I ever will." The tears start to slowly escape. Talon reaches his hand towards me and her clumsily wipes them away, not judging me as I cry. I reach my arms around him and hug him, letting the tears I've held back for over a decade spill out. "I don't know what to do, Talon."

He rubs my back and doesn't say a word. We stay there, standing in the middle of the park like that until we hear Bickslow calling for us. I pull away and sniff, giving him the best smile I can manage at the moment. "That's our cue. We should probably go."

"Yeah." I start the walk back to the others, Talon walking behind me. "You know, Ivie," I can hear the laughter that comes from smirking on Talon's face, "you look prettier when you smile."

I just turn around and beam at him.

 **A/N**

 _Thank you all so much for reading! I am having so much fun writing this story. I'm sorry if this chapter was a but awkward, but we now know what Ivie looks like! I want to thank those of you who have reviewed my story. It means so much to me that you're taking the time to do that. It really means a lot!_


	4. Chapter Four

When we get to the guild hall we're met with a myriad of reactions. In the corner Ruby, Lydia and Ceila are entertaining the younger kids of the guild, the Conbolt kids, Ruben and Navi, Bickslow and Lisanna's son, Jax, Mirajane and Laxus's youngest, Beckett, and Simon and Emma, Erza and Jellal's two children. The group greet us all with smiles, the children looking vaguely interested in the newcomers, bright eyes looking on in curiosity.

Older guild members that have been here my whole life become pale, like they've seen a ghost. I've never seen anything intimidate these people. Elfman stares at Natsu, Gray and Lucy. I see the glass Mira is holding fall to the ground and shatter. Levy's eyes start to water and Gajeel downs the rest of his drink. Cana pours herself another.

Wendy makes her way to the group, timidly, like they're nothing but illusions, looking at each of them closely before wrapping them all up in a hug. "You made it home."

They all stay there in the hug, not wanting to end it, only pulling away when Lucy starts to speak. "Wendy, you've changed!"

Wendy's laugh echoed through the guild hall. "Well, I'm almost twice your age now. I hope I've changed." I can see the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. That's all it took for the three of them to be surrounded.

Paxton, Olive, Talon and I walk away, letting everyone catch up. Mira left the bar so Paxton went behind and fixed all drinks, beer for Olive and himself, a scotch for Talon, and a cherry vodka sour for me. "You know, Pax, if the whole wizard thing doesn't work out you could be a bartender." Olive is sipping her beer leisurely, watching the commotion.

"Aunt Mira taught me well."

The three wizards are surrounded. It would be impossible to get close to them. It's better to watch from a distance while they're being swarmed. "So, where's Erza?" I hear Lucy ask.

"Oh, she's on a job with Jellal. They'll probably be back within the next few days."

"I haven't seen Happy or Carla either! Where is my little buddy?"

Mira's sparkling laugh filled the room. "They went with them. They said they might need some air power, or something."

"Is Juvia out on a job too?" Gray asks.

The jovial mood darkens immediately. I look over at my companions. "I haven't heard that name before. Who's Juvia?" Olive asks us. I'm as clueless as her. Talon and Paxton seem out of the loop as well.

Laxus breaks the tension, speaking out over the guild members. "We've got a lot to talk about. Why don't you three join me in the back. Wendy, Levy, and Paxton's team come with."

I pick up my vodka and follow behind the others. I don't know why he would possibly need us here. Don't argue with Laxus, though. Many members have learned that the hard way. Laxus leads us up the stairs until we reach a door leading to a spacious room with a large table at the center. We'll all easily fit around it. We've never been allowed upstairs before. It's interesting to see what the guild has to offer the S-Class wizards. Laxus takes a seat at the chair furthest the door, Wendy on his right and Levy on his left. Natsu sits next to Wendy, Lucy sits next to Natsu and Gray sits next to Lucy. We follow a similar pattern, Olive sitting next to Levy, Talon sitting next to Olive, I sit next to Talon and Paxton sits next to me, taking the last seat available next to Gray. "So, I'm going to cut right to the chase. You three have been gone for twenty-five years."

"Yeah, we kinda figured something like that. Go away for a few hours and Wendy is twice our age." Gray was looking at Laxus through narrowed eyes. He was toying with his hands, cracking each of the knuckles on his hands. He probably didn't even realize he was doing it. "The real question is why did this happen?"

"When we were on the job a large hole opened up and the three of you fell in. Erza, Carla, Happy and I looked for you for a week before we came back. The guild spent a year looking for you guys. We gave up hope after three years. Juvia disappeared after that. She insisted that she keep looking for you. Two years after that Gajeel found her in the mountains. She was sick. She hadn't been taking care of herself..." Wendy trailed off, searching for the words. We could all figure out where this was going. Lucy looked like she was about to cry. Natsu had the first serious expression I'd seen since knowing him. Gray was the worst. He looked like he was in physical pain.

"Say it, Wendy. Please." His voice was strained. Gray looked like he was about to cry. I didn't know a guy that appeared so strong would even be able to cry. "Wendy, I need to hear you say it."

Wendy looked down at the table, unable to make eye contact with Gray. "We tried everything. My healing, Sherria came from Lamia Scale, Porlyusica, we all tried our best. Her grave is at the church." A small, sad, smile came across Wendy's face. "I think she was happy. She was saying she'd get to see you again, Gray."

Gray got up from the table and walked out of the room. The usually rowdy noise from downstairs was silent. We could hear the front doors of the guild shut. We sit there in silence for a few minutes, letting Natsu and Lucy take in what they just heard. Juvia's death looked like it affected them as well. A few tears rolled down her face and Natsu held his hand in a fist. I could see a bit of smoke coming from him, like he was about to ignite. The way Levy eyed Lucy I could tell she wanted to comfort her. Wendy looked guilty for telling them what happened. She shouldn't. They needed to know.

I looked at Paxton who placed a hand on my shoulder. We were all silently grieving her, though we never knew her. We'd ask more about her later. Mirajane would probably tell us all we wanted to know about her. It's apparent Natsu and Lucy need a break. There has been a lot to take in today. Paxton seems to notice this too. "Why don't we talk more tomorrow? Uncle Laxus, Talon and I can tell you anything you need to know about the job and finding them."

Laxus nods. "Yeah, that sounds good. Levy, why don't you take Lucy and Natsu back to your place. You've got a couple spare rooms, right?"

Levy nods. "Yeah." Levy gave a smile to Lucy, trying to bring a small smile to her friend's face. "You can stay with me and Gajeel. I'll tell Gejeel to wait here for Gray. We have plenty of room for all of you."

Lucy returns the smile her best friend gave her, giving a small sniff, trying to hide the tears. "Thanks, Lev."

Levy got up from the table and led the two of them out. I didn't miss the way Lucy leaned on Natsu for support, or the way his hand naturally slipped into hers. They supported one another. Maybe Juvia was Gray's support. "I'd like to hear how you found them, if you don't mind Laxus." Wendy said quietly from her seat.

He gave a shrug. "I don't care. Olive, Curly, you're dismissed. Paxton, Talon, tell me what happened."

Olive and I got up from our seats and left the room. A growl from Olive's stomach and we smiled at one another. It was relieving to be out of the tense room. The bubbly chatter from downstairs had resumed once again. "Why don't we go get something to eat?"

I nodded. "Sounds good."

We leave the guild and go out to sunny Magnolia. "It's been a hell of a couple of days, hasn't it, Ive?"

I nod. "Yeah. I can't believe those three were missing for so long."

"How did you know they weren't dangerous the other day?"

"Erza told me about them when I first came to the guild. I think she was trying to get me to open up."

Olive smirked. "Well, good luck with that." Olive's been trying to get me to tell her what happened since I met her. She hasn't been able to crack me. If she can't I doubt anyone can.

We walk to our favorite restaurant by the river. It has food that would normally be considered fancy but the atmosphere makes it appreciable for people our age. We sit at our favorite spot, a booth right by the window where we get a nice view of the people walking down the river. "What can I get for you ladies today?" A waiter comes up to us, a smile playing on his face.

"I'll have a green tea, and I'd like the cheese ravioli with the cream sauce." The waiter scribbles down Olive's order. I don't miss the hungry look he gives her.

"And you, beautiful?"

I look down at the menu deciding to get my usual. "I'll have the chicken marsala with fettuccine and a strawberry lemonade."

"As you wish." He gave us a wink and sauntered off. As soon as he did the two of us started laughing.

"He was totally checking you out!"

Olive shook her her. "No way! He was so into you!"

I laugh. "Wait until I tell Paxton! He's going to blow a fuse!"

Olive rolled her eyes. She denies anything is going on between her and Paxton but they hang out so often without either me or Talon we've both suspected something is up. Anytime we question them they both deny anything is happening in a way that's obvious something is going on. They act completely professional on jobs, but that's just the way both Paxton and Olive are. They wouldn't let something like romance interfere with the way they act around us.

"There's nothing going on between me and Pax, Ivie." A smirk started to dance across her face. "You and my brother on the other hand... why don't you tell me what's going on there?"

I feel my face heat up. "There's nothing between us, Olive." I don't think there is. "Besides, it'd be weird if I dated my best friend's brother."

Olive rolled her eyes. "I don't think it would be. You and I could potentially be real life sisters that way." I make a small ice cube in my hand and chunk it at her, hitting her in the forehead. "No fair! No magic allowed!"

I stick my tongue out at her and the waiter comes over with our drinks. On the napkin my drink sits on an address is written. "I told you he was flirting with you," a smug expression sits on Olive's face.

"I don't know why. You're the hottest one here." If I could wink I would.

"Please. I wish I looked like you." I really don't know why she wishes she does. I'm plain. Olive is so thin but has the chest of a goddess. Her face looks like pixies painted it themselves and the series of piercings she has makes her look badass.

"Well that goes double for me."

We sit there conversing with one another until our food is brought out. I happily eat the chicken marsala while Olive talks about some new thing she figured out to do with her shadows. A pang of jealousy hits me. She can do all this amazing stuff with her magic and I can chunk ice cubes at her. I wonder if Gray will still teach me? I wouldn't blame him if he didn't. The shock of that girl's death must really have gotten to him. I hope he's okay.

 **A/N**

 _Thank you all so much for reading. I'm sorry this chapter didn't come out as quick as the previous ones. I had a death in the family, just got hired at a job, and went on a small trip, so it's been a bit hectic. I know y'all are probably mad I killed off Juvia, but please don't be. There's a reason and I think you'll all like the outcome. Thank so much to all of you who followed, favorited and reviewed. Please leave a review and tell me what y'all thought. It's the best indicator for me what to include in future chapters and what not to include._


	5. Chapter Five

It's been a week since Lucy, Natsu and Gray came back to the guild. I know Levy has already dived int doing research on the topic of time travel, time suspension, really any type of magic involving time. I have been looking into time magic as well, seeing if I can learn how to use it. I'm having about as much luck with it as I am fire magic. I've been watching the three of them from a distance. They interact with the rest of the guild so naturally, it's amazing. It's easy to see that they were members their whole lives. I never would have guessed they were gone for twenty-five years if I wasn't told.

Lucy is sitting at one of the tables with Levy, each pouring over books, talking to one another adamantly, gathering all the details. Wendy occasionally joins them when they're trying to piece together what happened that day as she's one of the witnesses. If they are pouring over words then they're talking about Olive and Talon, or Levy's relationship with Gajeel. Despite the difference in age, it's like the two of them never stopped being friends. It's amazing to see what a close bond like that can do. I wonder if Olive and I went through the same thing we would come out like Lucy and Levy.

Natsu is playing with all the kids. He seems to enjoy being able to goof around whenever he wants. He actually comes across as a giant child. Navi can't get enough of Natsu's piggy-back rides, and Jax, Beckett and Ruben are always begging him to do his fire dragon roar, setting various things on fire. Emma and Simon watch on, pretending the fire doesn't excite them, but the light in their eyes gives the siblings away. The only time's he's not playing with them he has one of his arms hanging around Lucy's shoulders, giving her a playful look, while she playfully glares at him with a look that is half annoyed and half loving. I haven't known them for very long and I can see the chemistry between them. I wonder if they realize it's there? If he's not with Lucy or the kids he's over with Gray, trying to pick a fight.

Gray has sat at the bar every day, seemingly lost in thought. The only thing that marks time for him is the slow draining of the beer in his pint. Even Natsu poking fun at him doesn't seem to pull him out of the state he's in. I can tell he wasn't always like this. The interactions on the train were enough proof of that. The two of them were constantly at one another's throats, but there was a level camaraderie between them that only came with the best of friends. It's still there. I can see it when Natsu tries to get a rise out of the ice mage. There is a small glimmer of desperation in the dragon slayer's eyes.

"What're you looking at, Ivie?" The sound of a chair being pulled out next to me turns my attention. Large and muscular, blonde hair, he looks like his father, but the bright blue eyes and smile come from his mother. Bastion Dreyar. The oldest of our generation , twenty-three, and the only one to have become a S-Class wizard. He is next in line to be guild master, if his father ever decides to retire. He's powerful, uses Lightning Magic, mostly, but has also mastered the takeover magic his mother uses, the demon blood she has in her getting passed into him, in some sense. He's the most powerful wizard I know. "I saw you staring at those newbies."

"I was just wondering how it must feel to be uprooted and have to start all over. Everything is the same, but completely different. It must suck."

Bastion just gives me a smile. "Well, everyone has their trials."

"From what I've heard, those three have had more than their fair share of trials."

"Who'd you hear that from?" Bastion has a low laugh that fills the hall. Even though no one in the guild can hear us, or knows what we're talking about, they can all tell it's a nice conversation. Bastion has a laugh that carries through everything.

"Your mom." I stick my tongue out at him and give Mirajane a glance. She gives me one of her sweet smiles and goes back to serving the drinks. She's beautiful. I hope I look like her in twenty-five years. "Did you need something, Bastion?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." He presents a piece of paper he was holding in his back pocket. "It's a job I thought your team could handle. It's a difficult job, but not quite S-Class. There are three non S-Class teams here now, your team, the time travel gang, and your sister's team. I thought your would be best suited, though."

I take the job from his hand and start to scan it over. "And why do you think that?"

Bastion points to a particular line on the paper, giving me a smirk. "Young women getting kidnapped in Onibus."

"So why do you think my team would be able to handle this? Why did you come to me with this request? Why not Pax? He's the one who approves requests."

"Ivie, your team is the only team that can. The women targeted are eighteen to twenty-five years old, roughly. All young, so none of the S-Class wizards would make very good bait." My heart nearly stops at the word. "The time travel gang is still unfamiliar with everything. It's not good to send them on their own, yet. They need to see everything first. I doubt you'd be okay with me giving a mission as dangerous as this to your sister's team. There aren't any boys to back them up if they all get captured, either. As to why I gave the job to you and not Paxton... well, you know how protective he can be. He won't accept it from me. He might from you."

I look at the paper. It pays extremely well, but the danger for Olive and myself would be incredibly high. We don't know what's happening to these women. It could be anything. Olive and I could die. But so could those women. I know I have to take it. "Fine. I'll show it to him."

Bastion gives me a pat on the back, his laugh filling the room once again. "Knew I could count on you, Ive!" With this, he gets up and leaves.

I glance around the hall, trying to find Pax or the twins. None are here. "I'll just wait then." I take the job and head over to the bar. There's only one seat open, the one next to Gray. I think nothing of it as I sit down, ordering a cherry vodka sour from Mirajane, not noticing Gray glancing over the request.

"Are you taking this job?"

I nod. "Yeah, well, my team is. Probably. I haven't talked to them about it yet."

"I'll come with you."

I'm surprised, to say the least. "You'll come with us? On this job?"

He nods. "Yeah, seems dangerous and when I tried to get a job the other day I was told to wait until I knew how everything worked in this time. What better way to learn then to go with your team?"

It's not surprising that he wants to go with us. He's right in saying the best way to learn is to join another team. He just seemed so dead to everything around him over the last week that I didn't think he was up for anything like this. He didn't come back after he found out about Juvia until the following night. Maybe this job could serve as a distraction for him from her. More backup would be nice. Maybe he could help me with my ice magic. "I'll have to ask Pax, but I'm sure you, would be able to come. Would Natsu and Lucy want to come too?"

"Probably. I'll ask them once you get an answer."

"Alright." Mira places my red drink in front of me and I down it quickly. This is going to be insane. "I'll see you later, Gray."

"See you later..." he trails off uncertainly. He obviously doesn't remember my name.

"Ivie."

"Right." A smirk cross his face. "I'll see ya, Ivie."

I go back to the table I was at before and read and reread the job until the spot next to me is filled. I look out the window and see the sun has started to set. It's not surprising to see Talon back. Silently, he takes the job out of my hand and reads it over, a worried looking crossing his features. "You wanted to take this job?"

I can't exactly say Bastion gave it to me. Talon would be just as concerned as Paxton. "I thought it looked important." Not a lie. I knew now we need to do this job. We can save those trapped women.

"Ive, it's dangerous. You could die."

"I could die walking too. You know how clumsy I am."

Talon shakes his head. "That's not the point. I just don't want to see anything happen to you... or Olive." He adds his sister's name like an afterthought. Does he think she stands a better chance at surviving than I do?

"Talon, please." This is a job I can finally be useful in. I won't have to sit on the sidelines. I can actually help. I look him in the eyes, seeing the reluctance in his brown orbs.

He lets out a sigh and looks down at the job once again, tearing his gaze from mine. "Can I stop you?"

I think Talon could be the only one who could stop me at this point. I just have to ask the right questions. "You know Olive will be fine. She's strong."

"It's not Olive I'm worried about. Ivie," he tries to figure out what to say, how to phrase each word carefully. "Ive, I'm worried about you."

"You said I wasn't useless, Talon. Let me prove that. Even if it's just to myself. I need to feel like I'm doing something Talon. I'm not strong, and I'll never be the best with magic, but this is something I can do." He's skeptical, but I can tell he's warming up to the idea. The look in his eyes... fire lighting up. "Why should you worry about me more than your sister?" He suddenly turns away. Did I say something wrong? "Talon, please."

"I'm not going to say anything to Pax. It's his choice." We both know he'll say yes. It would be reluctant, but he would eventually agree. Talon's back is still towards me. It hurts. I want him to look at me when he talks to me. It doesn't feel right when he shuts me out. "Just, be careful."

"I'm not worried. I know you've got my back."

Talon turns back towards me, a small smile finally curling up. He wraps his arms around me, taking me in a hug. A smile starts to play on my lips too. "I'll always have your back, Ivie."

When Paxton and Olive get back an hour or so later he reluctantly agrees to take the job. When I mention Gray and the others wanted to come along, he physically relaxed. It was less money for each of us, but the safety of our family is more important. Money is material. It can be replaced. Lives can't. They're here for a brief moment of time then disappear like the wind. I just want to have a meaningful life. Helping others as a member of Fairy Tail is the best way to do that.

 _"_ _Momma! Daddy! Get out!" Tears run down my face as I look at the fire that is quickly taking over our house. "Get out!" I want to run back in and grab them, but my legs are shaking. "Please!" My screams seemed like they could be heard by the whole earth that day._

I need to help others as a member of Fairy Tail the way Fairy Tail helped me.

 **A/N**

 **Thank you all so much for reading this chapter and this story! I'm having a blast writing it so I hope y'all are enjoying reading it as well! Please let me know what y'all think. Some news I have a new story "Of Mario Kart and Vodka" up which is a Modern Day comedy, the first comedy I've written in five years, so please check it out if you have the time. I also have a collab** **fic in the work and I'll give y'all more info as that comes out. Thank y'all so much!**


	6. Chapter Six

On our way to Onibus we came up with a plan, and though none of the guys liked the sound of it, they all agreed to go along. Olive, Lucy and I are going to allow ourselves to get kidnapped in different places around town. When we were researching the places the woman were kidnapped from we found six locations that seemed to be the most popular spots. The targets were all pretty women on their own at night. We would go to those spots and allow ourselves to be taken, Natsu was going to follow Lucy, Talon was going to follow Olive, and Gray was going to follow me. Paxton would go between the three of them and create a strategy based off what he had heard.

We all go our separate ways once we leave the train, not without exchanging goodbyes. Talon pulled me aside and gave me a sad smile. "You'll be okay." His arms wrapped around me and he gave me a hug. "I wish I was the one protecting you."

"You have to look out for Olive. Gray and I have the same type of magic. It'll be easier for him to help me out and vice versa."

"I know." He doesn't loosen his grip on me. "You're strong, Ivie. Prove that to them. Prove it to yourself."

I give him a squeeze and let go. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Can I..." I look up at Talon, who is struggling to speak. He's always been quiet but he's never had a problem around me.

"Are you okay?"

He licks his lips, looking down at me with a gentle, nervous, glance. "No, I'm not. I'm scared Ivie."

"It'd be pointless for me to say don't be, wouldn't it?" I feel my heartbeat quicken in my chest. It could probably burst out at any moment. I'm scared too. I just need to put on a brave face. I was the one who agreed to take this job. Any right to be publicly scared I gave up as soon as I said yes to Bastion. "This job will be over soon, just like any other. I promise."

"That's not why I'm scared... I mean I'm scared of that too, but I have faith in you. I have faith in Olive, and I'm sure Lucy is capable. She seems powerful." I'm confused. Why else would he be scared? "Ivie, close your eyes. Let me do one thing."

I do as he says. "Um, okay? Talon what are you-"

Before I can finish my statement I feel his hands on my cheeks and feel his lips covering mine. My rapidly beating heart slows down and I let myself enjoy this, letting the butterflies fill my stomach. He pulls away too soon for my liking. I open my eyes and he still looks worried. I give him a smile. "Is that why you were scared?"

He looks down at the ground, avoiding my gaze. "Yeah. I'm sorry if I crossed a line, Ive. I just... I just needed to do that. Once."

I get on my tiptoes so my lips can reach his cheek and give him a quick peck. "This isn't the time to talk about any of this, but after the job we'll talk. Okay?"

He finally has a smile on his face. His hand is softly touching the spot I kissed his cheek. "Okay," he says. He walks away from our hiding spot and over to where Olive is, presumably. I follow him and walk over to Gray. He's standing over by Natsu and Lucy, the former arguing with him. It's a sight I've become used to.

"Ready to go, Gray? We're going outside the theatre, right?"

He nods, giving Natsu one last glare. "Yeah. Let's head out." He lifts up and hand at his two friends and gives them a half smirk. "I'll see you guys later."

We walk a ways away and I can still feel Talon's lips on my own. I can't stop the smile on my face. "What're you grinning at?"

I try to stop the smile but I'm unable to. I should be afraid. This job is dangerous, but I'm not scared. I'm not sure I could ever be scared with Talon consuming my thoughts. My only option is to try to play off the smile. "Oh, um, the job?" So much for playing it off. I sound uncertain, and the nervous laugh I let out doesn't help anything. "It's nothing." I quickly change the subject. "You said you'd teach me, right? Is there anything you can teach me now?"

Ir's Gray's turn to smile. "You really think you need me to teach you? You've got skill, from what I can see. Who taught you before this?"

"I really taught myself. I mean, Lyon, that ice mage from Lamia Scale, will come over and help me whenever he's in Magnolia, and I had the opportunity to study with him but I passed it up."

"Why?" I can feel his eyes boring into me.

"Isn't there anyone you felt like you had to protect? My sisters were back at the guild. I couldn't leave them. I was the strongest out of the three of us at the time."

"So you aren't the strongest anymore?"

I shake my head. "I gave up that title years ago. Ruby and CeCe are both incredible. They were lucky. The Conbolt family was able to help them with their magic. Ruby uses air magic, which is close enough to sky magic Wendy got a solid grip on how to help her, and CeCe is a fire mage."

"So you all use elemental magic?"

"I guess." I take a breath. "Our parents were elemental wizards. I guess we got it form them."

"What happened to them?" he asks. I grow silent and look down at the ground, focusing on the gray cobblestone, looking at each crack as we step, taking more care in my steps than my companion. "Sorry, didn't mean to strike a nerve."

All I do is shrug. I'm not in the mood for talking anymore. The giddiness I felt earlier because of Talon evaporated. "Let's go finish this, alright?" I look at the sky and the sun is starting to set. We don't have much time.

It's just after sunset and I'm standing close to the theatre. I fixed up my hair and makeup, as well as put on some of my cuter clothes before coming here. I need to make this man want me. I can't see where Gray is hiding, but that means whoever is kidnapping women can't either. The moon is rising in the sky, the first stars peeking out, when someone approaches me. I pretend to not see them, looking down at the book I brought to occupy myself with. I'm prepared to be taken in. He's a big man, muscles as large as his belly. His eyes are squinting at me, his tongue running over his lip as he eyes my up and down, a sleazy smile on his face. I pretend to not notice. I ignore the goosebumps that have started to form. Gray's here. He's watching out for me. Having a demon slayer on my side must be a good thing.

The man pulls a handkerchief out of his back pocket. It's disgusting looking, covered in yellow and green stains that I don't to imagine what they are from. I keep looking down at my book. He's walking towards me, closer. Closer. He grabs me from behind and I feel the handkerchief get placed in front of my mouth and nose. I have no choice but to breathe in whatever is on that piece of cloth. It's sweet smelling. I feel my vision getting fuzzy, my sight slowly fading to black. I shake my head, protesting against the man as much as I can manage, but I succumb. It's up to the guys now.

oOo

I wake up and slowly open my eyes, vaguely remembering the events that led me here. I'm inside a small room, illuminated by a thin window above my head. Morning light is peeking through. The window is at least seven feet up and too small to squeeze through. There's a heavy metal door on the ceiling, even higher up than the window. There's no escape.

I finished looking at the surroundings and started to see if there were others in here with me. There was. Blonde hair wildly flowing on the floor, breasts threatening to break through the button up shirt, short skirt and knee high socks- there's no doubt it's Lucy. Where's Olive? I notice Lucy start to stir. She probably was knocked out about the same time as me. "Lucy?"

She blinked away her drowsiness and looked at me, sitting up, carefully looking me up and down. "Ivie?"

I nod. "Yeah. So, I guess we're... somewhere." A sudden jerking and it feels like we've started to move. "Guessing we're going to find the other women."

She nods, a smile spreading across her beautiful features. "We'll save them, Ive." She looked around the room, scanning everything. "There's not really an escape out, is there?" I shake my head no. "We'll just have to wait until they release us then, or until the others rescue us." A small look of confusion crosses her face. "Where's Olive?"

"I don't know. It's just you and me, I guess."

She looked down to her belt and opened a little leather pouch, pulling out a ring of keys, a large smile plastered on her face. "You, me, and all my spirits. We'll be okay, Ive."

I give her a smile back. "I know we will."

 **A/N**

 **Thank you all so much for reading. I'm sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the others. The next chapter will be normal** **length, though! Please tell y'all's thoughts in a review. Thank to those of you who have reviewed, favorited and followed!**


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